Beans Beans the Musical Fruit....

Oh you know how that songs goes, right? Beans Beans the musical fruit? hee hee Ok, but seriously, if you're not eating BEANS, (or legumes, if you want to be fancy) get on it! Beans are a wonderful source of fiber and nutrients and can help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, prevent cancer, and are budget friendly :)
As our friends at Health and Goodness tell us:
Beans come packed with benefits: green peas, navy beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, and more exotic varieties like garbanzos, black beans, lentils, and fava beans.
Despite their beautiful differences in color and taste, all the legumes have similar nutritional value. A serving (1/3 cup of cooked beans) contains around 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates, and little fat. In addition, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which promotes digestive health, relieves constipation, and may even help prevent colon cancer and reduce blood cholesterol (a leading cause of heart disease).

Here's a YUMMY recipe to get started:

 Baja Beans and Brown Rice

6 cups cooked brown rice

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (or white beans as I used above)

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

4 fresh tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 dashes hot sauce

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice.
2. In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, oil, salt, pepper and hot sauce.
3. To serve, Place a scoop of hot rice in a bowl or on a plate, top with a generous scoop of the black bean mixture.
4. Stir together before eating.